Virginia Prison Guards Injured in Planned Attack by MS-13 Members

An attack that appears to have been “premeditated” was carried out by inmates linked with the MS-13 and SurenÃo 13 gangs at a prison in Virginia, causing five guards to sustain injuries, according to officials from the state correctional department.

The attack took place at approximately 9:45 a.m. on May 2 at the Wallens Ridge State Prison, which is a super-maximum security prison located in Big Stone Gap, a secluded town in southwest Virginia. This information comes from the Department of Corrections of the state of Virginia. The event resulted in the injuries of five security personnel, three of whom were stabbed, and they were later evacuated to receive medical treatment outside of the facility.

According to a news release that was sent to USA TODAY by the agency, three cops were discharged from the hospital on the same day that the attack occurred. Two of the officers had sustained minor injuries while reacting to the attack by the time they were released. Both of the remaining guards were located at the hospital and were in stable condition.

“Premeditated stabbing” was the description given by the agency to describe the attack, which targeted three prison personnel. According to the agency, six of the inmates who were part in the attack had all been convicted of severe crimes, including aggravated murder, first and second degree murder, and rape. There were also allegations of sexual assault.

According to the CIA, five of the six detainees were “confirmed MS-13 gang members from El Salvador,” and they were in the United States because they were not authorized to be there. The individual who was involved in the assault was a citizen of the United States of America and was verified to be a member of the SurenÃo 13 gang.

“Five of the individuals responsible for this senseless attack should never have been in this country in the first place,” it was stated in a statement by Chad Dotson, the Director of the Virginia Department of Corrections. Each and every day, our officers put their lives in danger in order to guarantee the protection of the more than 8.8 million people who live throughout the Commonwealth. As an illustration of the risks they are exposed to on a daily basis when they report to work, this attack is an example.

In light of the continuing inquiry, officials from the state correctional department did not release any additional information regarding the incident.

How does MS-13 work?

According to a fact sheet that was provided by the United States Department of Justice in 2017, La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, is a gang that has its roots in Los Angeles and has more than 10,000 members across the United States.

According to the fact sheet, the street gang has been operating in the United States since at least the 1980s and is primarily made up of immigrants from El Salvador. The deportation of its members has resulted in a rapid expansion of its presence in Central America, El Salvador, Mexico, and the United States of America.

There are between 50,000 and 70,000 members of MS-13 who are “concentrated in urban areas in Central America or locations outside this region with a large Central American diaspora,” according to a report that was published in the internet library of the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) in 2018. The investigation indicated that the gang has extended into more rural places, such as Long Island and North Carolina, despite the fact that it works largely in metropolitan areas.

“MS-13 has the features of a social organization more than a criminal organization, in that it is more interested in creating a menacing collective identity than in generating crime-based revenue,” according to the investigation findings. “It is a diffuse organization of sub-parts, without a single leader or leadership structure that manages gang life and activities.”

As stated in the report, “violent behavior” is at the heart of the actions that MS-13 is responsible for.” The United States Department of Justice identified MS-13 as a transnational criminal organization in the year 2012.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines transnational criminal organizations as groups that operate across national borders and engage in illegal activities for the purpose of making a profit. These activities include the trafficking of drugs, the smuggling of migrants, the trafficking of humans, the laundering of money, the trafficking of firearms, extortion, cybercrime, and the production and sale of counterfeit goods.

In recent months, MS-13 has been making headlines around the country as a result of the crackdown on immigration that has been implemented by the Trump administration. During this crackdown, federal officials have regularly characterized detainees as gang leaders or even terrorists.

The residence of a Salvadoran guy who was 24 years old and living illegally in Virginia was searched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in March. Officials labeled the man as a terrorist and claimed that he was one of the top three commanders of MS-13 in the United States. However, the Department of Justice continues to pursue deportation of him despite the fact that it has moved to withdraw the only charge it had brought against him, which was a gun charge.

Reuters reports that President Donald Trump has regularly made connections between illegal immigration and criminal activity, despite the fact that studies have shown that immigrants do not commit crimes at a higher rate than those who were born in the United States. Tren de Aragua, MS-13, and six Mexican cartels have been designated as terrorist organizations by the Trump administration, according to the administration’s increased enforcement efforts against transnational gangs.